


Margo Wont' Take this Bullshit

by TakenByEmrys



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Depressed Quentin Coldwater, Eating Disorders, Fight me on that, Hurt Quentin Coldwater, Kady and Quentin are friends, M/M, Margo is going to give the boy a hug, Margo love Quentin, Minor Fen/Margo Hanson, POV Margo Hanson, Post-Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Protective Kady Orloff-Diaz, Protective Margo Hanson, Quentin Coldwater Lives, minor Fargo, quentin coldwater needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakenByEmrys/pseuds/TakenByEmrys
Summary: Margo gets back from the desert and is worried when Q isn't waiting for her.A season 4 ending in which we acknowledge that Margo and Q are also best friends, so a lot of things are different.
Relationships: Margo Hanson & Eliot Waugh, Quentin Coldwater & Kady Orloff-Diaz, Quentin Coldwater & Margo Hanson, Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh
Comments: 14
Kudos: 114





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AmbiguousPenny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbiguousPenny/gifts).



> I've been working on this forever, and finally decided it was time to post it! I hope you like it!

Margo’s hands shook as she brushed her hair. She didn’t often take a personal day from her kingdom, but she had just fucking dug up the body of Jane fucking Chatwin to stop her best friends from dying. She had left them in the throne room, assured with the fact that they were alive and okay. She had proceeded to take a long scalding bath to wash the dead bitch from her skin. She was brushing her hair, or trying to, when someone weakly knocked on her door. Sighing, she got up and sashayed over to the door. She flung it open, hoping that whoever had the bright idea to disturb her would cower and scuttle. However, it was Quentin. 

Quentin’s hair hung over his face far more than usual, hiding almost all of his face. His shoulders we hunch, as if he was trying to collapse in on himself. Margo noticed how hard he was trying not to shake. She automatically reached out and pulled him into the room. The door slammed shut behind him. He sniffed, and looked around the room.

“Q, what’s wrong?” Margo asked. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched as she touched him. “Baby, you’re scaring me. Please look at me.” Q raises his head and meets her eyes. The air was knocked from her lungs as she saw the raw pain in his eyes. She opened her arms and pulled him into a hug.

The minute her arms were wrapped around him, he broke down. Margo always knew he was rather delicate, but whoever fucked her baby boy up this bad was gonna have a stiletto to the fucking colon. She rubbed his back softly as he cried, leading him over to her bed. He sat down with her, never breaking his grip on her. Several minutes passed before she spoke again.

“Sweetie, I know you’re hurt, but you’re gonna have to tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help if i don’t know who to murder.” She whispered. That was obviously the wrong thing to say, because he started sobbing harder. “Okay, okay. No talking let’s just lay in bed together and cry. I could use a good one too.” She manhandled him back onto the bed and under the covers. Quentin burrowed in and wrapped his entire body around hers. She cooed softly, trying her best to soothe him. She felt her own tears fall, but refused to acknowledge them. 

Thirty minutes of gentle whispers and soothing rubs and Quentin was down to soft sniffles and the occasional tear. She gave him a watery smile when he looked into her eyes.

“I’m sorry Margo. I didn’t mean to ambush you.” He croaked.

“None of that. You know I actually don’t mind taking care of you.” Margo sniffed. He smiled sadly. “We all had a rough day. Now, i think you need to tell me why yours was this bad, baby.” Q nodded.

“Yeah. Um… you got the letter obviously. And you stopped us from going back in time.” Q started. Margo’s heart squeezed as she remembered how she felt when she read the letter. “But, it still happened? Like thinking about it, I gave Jane the key that allowed her to make the time loops, so the only reason we’re still alive after 40 time loops is because in this one, we got this far. So it happened.” Q’s voice broke, and more tears fell.

“That makes sense.” Margo said slowly. “But what happened?”

“The beauty of all life, it was actually living. El-iot and I,” Q choked on his name. “We had to live in Fillory, a long full life. We were so focused on the quest the first year. Always thinking about you, and Julia, and the others. So focused on getting home.” He went quiet, and Margo could see he was looking back at the memories. “But on, on the first year anniversary, I finally got brave. I finally did it Margo. I’ve been thinking about it since day one, but without the Beast, or Alice, or anything happening, I finally kissed him.” Margo pulled Q into her chest. She didn’t have to ask who he meant. Everyone knew Q was ass over tits for Eliot.

“So you kissed him.” She said after a minute of letting him cry. He nodded.

“Yeah, and we just sort of, fell, into this life together. This beautiful,  _ beautiful _ life.” His voice cracked again. “We met a woman, and well, you know Fillorian marriage laws. We were all married. We had this, beautiful ceremony in the peach orchard. It was our thing. Arielle’s family owned the peach orchards. Practically the only thing we ate was peaches and plums.” Margo’s arms shook with hard she was holding him.

“Oh baby.” She breathed out.

“We had a son.” Quentin was on a roll now. Words just spilling out of him. “His name was Theodore Rupert Coldwater-Waugh. He was perfect. We never really figured out who his dad was, but Eliot swore he had my eyes. I never saw him. I only ever saw Eliot and Arielle. But then, when Teddy was four, Arielle. Arielle died Margo.” He sobbed. “We didn’t know what to do. We threw ourselves back into

. the mosaic, into being the best fathers we could. We raised him, and he became the best man I could imagine. He grew up and got married.” He gave her a watery smile. “He had a daughter, they named her Margo, after his favorite aunt.” The noise Margo made was entirely new to her. A mix between unimaginable grief and absolute joy. He nodded. 

“They were always his favorite stories to hear. Aunt Margo the destroyer. The best ruler Fillory would ever see.” He laughed. “Eliot and I, we were so happy. I didn’t know that that kind of happiness existed, or god forbid i’d find it. We raised a family and found the beauty of all life in the life we had together. But then, then I had to bury him. And Jane fucking Chatwin showed up and i had to live with no Eliot, and no quest for almost ten years.” He took a deep breath. “When you left us in the throne room, I read my letter and we remembered. We remembered everything.” He shuddered and sobbed into her shoulder again.

“So, why are you here baby? What happened?” Margo asked, but she knew. Deep down she knew why he was here, and it terrified her. 

“I asked him to do it again. To be with me, and be happy for once in this timeline. And he said no. In this time, we wouldn’t choose each other, and I wasn’t ‘like that.’ We’d just been injected with 50 years worth of memories, and we don’t actually want that.” Quentin choked out. “Like i haven’t chosen hims from the minute I fucking met him.” He started crying again, and Margo just held on. She didn’t know how to fix this one. This broke Q, actually broke him. She didn’t know if she actually had it in her to forgive Eliot for this one. The minute this puppy walked onto campus, he belonged to them. They would always look out for him and be there for him. They had talked about it extensively. So when Eliot drug his way here after he no doubt sobered up, Margo was gonna rip him a new fucking asshole. 

“Why, Margo. Why is it that every time I work myself up to try to tell him how I feel, the universe intervenes? With Mike, Alice and I getting turned into fucking foxes, drunked threesomes, then a surprise Fillorian wife. God, the day I crowned him. I loved him so fucking much that day Margo. I always had this hope that one day, bad desicions would stop dicking me over and I'd finally be able to say what I want. I never fucking thought that when i got my chance, he’d say no. I mean, I’ve always known he’s about three leagues above me, but i never even thought about it. I was trying so hard not to make an idiot of myself, and well. Now I’m sobbing in your bed.” Q’s voice was quiet and broken.

“Q, I need you to know. I  _ need _ you to know that Eliot isn’t out of your league. You are one of the bravest people I know. You’re always willing to help the ones you love to your own fucking detriment. Eliot’s such a coward that he’d rather hide behind drugs and alcohol than actually be fucking happy.” Margo practically spit out. Eliot was going to get the ass whooping of a lifetime. 

“That’s not true.” Q defended. Margo smiled at him.

“My point Q. He just ripped your heart out and crushed it, and you’re here defending his honor. Eliot’s my soulmate and best friend ever, but he’s fucking stupid if he doesn’t want to be with you.”

“Awe, Margo. Are you volunteering?” He asked. Margo rolled into him with a smile.

“We’d kill each other in less that a day and you know it.” Q laughed, but nodded in agreement. He buried his head into her shoulder.

“Thank you Margo.” He whispered.

“Hey, it’s you and me against the world. The minute you stumbled across the sea, you were ours baby Q. I wouldn’t ever let you go through this alone.” She reassured him. Quentin smilled.

“Well, I cried over my day. I think it’s your turn. I mean, you dug up Jane Chatwin’s body.” He grinned. She pushed at his shoulder. 

“I think the tears would be from you two idiots dying without me. If you think you get to leave this world before I do, you have another thing coming, Coldwater.” Margo said. “But, now that you’re here. Are you gonna go to Earth?” He shook his head.

“I have the book here. I need to do some research, but there’s still keys to find.” He explained. Margo nodded.

“Good. I miss having you around the castle. We will have to disguise you. With the fairy bitch hiding around every corner. You can’t be seen.” Q nodded, but didn’t say anything, just held her close. They cuddled in silence for several hours before Q got up. It was nearing 11 at night

“You’re my best friend Margo. I love you more than anyone right now, and that’s the truth.” He gave her a secret smile. She gripped his had and nodded.

“That’s the truth for both of us right now.” Q shook his head and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?” Margo nodded as he slipped out of the door. Margo laid back in bed and tried her best to sleep. 

The next morning, she was woken by Eliot barging into her room. She glared at him, but he just gave her a bright smile.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that Bambi. You went to bed so early last night. I know you need your beauty sleep, but you know you’re gorgeous.” Margo watched as he babbled about their plans for the day. She watched the tightness of his shoulder and the way his eyes kept darting to his side, as if something, or someone was missing. It took about ten minutes of him ranting about the queen for her to realize. He wasn’t going to tell her. He had already locked that secret locked up tight where no one could find it. Not only that. She couldn’t read him. 

She knew he had a soft spot for Q, and he had wanted to give him a hard dick down, but between Beast Mike and Fen, she couldn’t get an actual read on his feelings. She thought that during his coronation, he felt the fuzzies, but they had never talked about it. One day, she’d beat the answer out of him. One day when they didn’t need to be a united front with the Fairy Queen, she’d rip his dick off for hurting Q. However, today was not that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too lazy to break this into chapter,, enjoy

Margo listened intently as Julia and Alice laid out their absolute hopelessness. Well, mostly intently. She had given her big speech about dismantling the patriarchy, expecting an interruption any minute. Her eyes kept sweeping the penthouse, trying to find the missing piece. 23 had arrived 20 minutes ago and had immediately gone to bed.

"Which is why it's great that we have the axes, especially after our last failed attempt-" Julia was saying. 

"Where's Q?" Margo interrupted, eyes focusing back on Julia. Julia raised a curious eyebrow.

"Uh, he went up to bed. Why?" She answered. Margo hummed noncommittally. 

"Quentin needs sleep. Back to the problem." Alice said. Her voice strained. She never did get over the fact that Margo cared for Quentin, not after what they did.

"Did he know I was coming back? You got my message, obviously." Margo thought back to her arrival, where Alice and Julia were waiting not so patiently in the kitchen. She had been a little sad and concerned that Q wasn't there. But, she knew he was taking the brunt of things right now. She knew it was her time to step up, especially because that thing was wearing El's face.

"Yeah, he knew. I didn't think that would matter, though." Julia said slowly.

"Of course it matters. Now that Darth Eliots here, I'm the person in this world that knows Q best. Now when the fuck did he go to bed?" By the time she finished the sentence, Margo was growling. Both Julia and Alice glared at her, both starting to shout at her at once.

"I was his girlfriend-" Alice was saying.

"I've known him since we were children-" Julia yelled.

"Shut up!" Margo cut them both off. "You both might think you have a special bond with the baby Q, but he's not hiding from either of you. Wait, what did you say about a failed attempt? No one told me about that." Margo snapped back at the two girls.

"We had a bloodstone that was given to us by the gods. It was supposed to incapacitate the monster so we could kill it. Last minute... Something changed." Julia began. Margo's eyes narrowed and she gestured for Julia to continue. "The monster changed. It kept calling Quentin Q. Saying that he was Eliot and that he was alive in there. Quentin didn't believe him of course, but Eliot said something weird that I still don't get. He said something about 50 years, and proof of concept. Then be said 'peaches and plums, motherfucker' before Q practically tackled him to save him from the blood." Margo had gone white as a sheet at Julia's words.

"You know what it means." Alice accused. Margo flew off her bar stool and scrambled into the living room.

"Quentin!" Margo yelled. She spun around, trying to make the fastest decision. "Where the fuck is he? QUENTIN!" Alice and Julia just gaped at her. Margo rolled her eyes. Fat lot of help those two are. "QUENTIN MAKEPEACE COLDWATER!" Margo was still spinning, not sure which door to take. 23 appeared in the living room, ready for whatever was causing the yelling. He looked around bewildered to Alice and Julia, who were as confused as him.

"Margo," Quentin's voice slid over her like a bucket of ice water. She looked up and found him staring down at her from the top of the stairs, hunched over and clearly exhausted. She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Q." She choked. Quentin shrunk into himself a little more. He scuttled down the stairs and stopped right in front of Margo. Her eyes trailed up and down his body, shaking more and more as she took him in. 

"Margo, I'm fine." He choked. He should have seen the slap coming. But he sure felt the sting as his head whipped to the side. Their audience gasped.

"Fuck you Coldwater. Fuck you. We made a deal. We don't fucking lie to each other."

"I don't understand. He's obviously tired but he looks fine." 23 said. Margo turned to him, venom in her eyes. She took a step forward, but Q reached out and took her hand.

"I'll show you how fine he looks." Margo snarled. Q sighed but didn't move as Margo turned and started performing a simple tut. The air shimmered around Quentin, changing his appearance like when he changed from Brian. Soon enough the real Quentin stood in front of them. Julia started crying uncontrollably, Alice's jaw was set in absolute anger, and 23 was gaping. 

Quentin's clothes were almost a full size too big. His hair was greasy and showed almost no signs of being washed in the last month. But the worst were his eyes. They were sunken and bloodshot, rimmed with the darkest bags any of them had ever seen.

"You tried to hide from me." Margo's voice trembled with barely contained emotion. "Q we made a promise to each other, and I broke it. It was you and me against the world, and I failed you. I left you alone with someone wearing his face. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you." Tears were streaming down Q's face before he launched himself at Margo. She immediately enveloped him in a hug. They sunk to the ground in a mess of tears and limbs.

"He said... He said..." Q stuttered. Margo shushed him and stroked his hair.

"I know, baby. I know. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you." Margo squeezed Q tight against her with her eyes shut tight.

"Okay, what the fuck just happened?" 23 asked. Margo opened her eyes to glare at him.

"What happened was that someone finally looked at Quentin." Her voice broke with suppressed emotion. "We are keyed into each other's personal wards. He went to bed early because he knew I could see through the glamour he's been using. And the fact that he's emotionally and physically compromised and there is practically no magic, it was one of his worst ones. Something I would have thought a goddess could see." Margo hissed. Julia was gaping at them. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as tears streamed down her face. Margo was still hovering protectively over Q, glaring at the trio when the front door opened.

“Fuck. Jesus, fine get down.” Kady’s voice came from the hallway. A minute later a puppy shot into the room. “Hey, Coldwater! I hope you’re here.” She called, walking backward, trying to avoid the puppy, through the door, laden with plastic bags. “I figured we’d try chinese today. I can’t remember if you ever had-” She stopped as she turned toward the living room. Her eyes flicked from a snarling Margo to the shocked and broken faces of their friends. Her eyes landed on Quentin, which made her spring into action. She set all the bags on the ground and moved toward them.

“Fuck, Coldwater. You motherfucker.” She reached for him, only stopping when Margo actually growled at her. Quentin placed a hand on Margo’s shoulder and nodded before reaching for Kady. Kady helped him up and moved him toward the couch. Margo rushed after them, placing herself next to Quentin on the couch.

“I thought we were on the same page Coldwater.” Kady scolded him as she pulled a box of hot chinese food from one of the bags. The puppy scrambled onto the couch, plopping onto Q’s lap.

“We both know you have more to worry about than my depressive episode,” Quentin countered. “Queen Hedge Bitch has other duties.” Kady glared at him.

  
“A duty, I wish you’d come help with.” She said, Q shook his head.

“You know I can’t yet. Margo found a way to get the monster out.” He explained. Kady froze.

“Well fuck. Why didn’t you say so? This the fucked up war council then?” She shot unimpressed looks to Penny 23, Alice, and Julia. Margo snorted. She had shifted into Q’s side and was nudging him to eat. Quentin nudged her back and gestured to Kady.

“Why don’t you tell her your awesome story.” He prompted. Margo glared at him but focused on Kady.

“I licked the lizard from my birth box, hallucinated Eliot singing to me and leading me to the desert people. I lost my shit and a demon spirit helped me overthrow the patriarchy. Stole the patriarchy’s demon killing axes. Sang my way out of the desert with the entire quester ensemble, you 4 octave bitch. Arrived to find a hiding and emaciated Quentin.’ Margo ground out. Kady nodded, mildly impressed. “You?”

“I got the keys to the castle,” Kady gestured to the apartment. “Therefore I also took the crown. Between restructuring the hedges and researching, I’ve been taking care of Coldwater. Apparently, no one else was going to.” She leveled a glare at Q again, who gave her a pained smile. Margo leaned over Quentin suddenly, surprising him. She studied Kady’s face, trying to find something. 

“Thank you,” she said softly. Kady jerked her head in acknowledgment. Margo settled back on Q’s side.

“I didn’t know it was this bad though.” Kady glared at Quentin. “And just because you finally figured out your shit doesn’t mean I’m holding my breath on you not running away again.” Margo jerked back as if she’d been slapped. A snarl started forming on her face but stopped when Q grabbed her hand.

“How about we save Eliot, and then you two can piss circles around me later.” He said, Krady cracked an easy smile and nodded. She reached for her own food, collapsed on the couch, and dug in. Margo leaned back and kept the annoyed look on her face. 

“Come on you three. We have a war council to convene.” Kady called. Alice, Julia, and Penny 23 slowly took seats on the chairs across from them. “Alright Margo, tell us how the axes work.” Margo launched into how the axes removed the spirit, but everyone was focused on how Kady kept continually nudging Q to eat. 

“So the bottles contain the spirit, but they can’t contain literal gods.” Alice countered. Margo rolled her eyes.

“Look, I got the axes and the bottles. Now, I have other shit to worry about. Maybe your, oh so big, brain can do some work now.” She snapped. 

“Margo,” Q admonished. She sighed and pulled her attitude, but she didn’t apologize. Kady reached over and stole a piece of Q’s almond chicken before replacing it with a piece of kung pao chicken. 

“Do we know of anything that might be able to strengthen the bottles?” Kady asked, looking at Alice.

“Mayachovsky was working on incorporeal bonds, but I’m not sure he ever finished it.” Alice said. “He’s no longer a bear.” Q snorted.

“Well then, I guess someone is going to Brakebills South.” Margo said pointedly, looking at the opposing three. 

“I never met Mayachovsky.” Julia hald choked. The first thing she had said.

“Well then you better figure it out.” Margo was already turning back to Q.

“I can go.” Q offered. He was focused on pushing his food around instead of actually eating it.

“No.” Margo and Kady said together. Things awkwardly dissolved after that. Alice claimed she had to get some things together before heading out in the morning. Penny just popped out of the room. Julia was staring at Q.

“So no go on the chinese?” Kady asked, taking in the barely touched food. Q shrugged.

“It’s the best so far. At this point, I just think all food makes my stomach turn now.” He explained. Kady hummed in thought.

“Eat what you can. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have to stop trying take out. Maybe I’ll get something fresh.” Kady said.

“Maybe peaches. I like peaches” he said softly. Kady saw Margo’s hand tighten on Q, but nodded. “I’ll get some while I’m out tomorrow.”

“Thanks Kady.” Q smiled. She reached forward and ruffled his hair. 

“Anytime Coldwater. Take care of the dog tomorrow?” She asked, picking up the puppy.

“I’ll try. I’ll leave her with Margo if I have to go anywhere.” Kady pursed her lips at that but nodded. She shot a look at Margo before getting up. 

“Well since you’re back, you get the night shift.” Kady said. “Go to sleep Coldwater.” She ruffled his hair again before heading up the stairs. 

“Well since I’m on the night shift, let's go to bed.” Margo stood and pulled Quentin off the couch. 

“Q,” Julia started, but Margo turned and glared at her.

“Figure your shit out Wicker. You have places to be tomorrow.” She said, not letting Q stop. He led her to his room, right next to Kady’s. As soon as the door closed, Margo enveloped him in a hug.

“Margo,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. 

“Don’t fucking  _ Margo _ me. I’m so sorry Q. I am so sorry.” She sniffed, giving away the only clue that she was crying. “Also, where the fuck would you go tomorrow?” Q sighed and pulled her down to the bed, sitting on the edge.

“It’s going to be hard to explain, but… the monster,  _ likes _ me.” Q started. Margo froze next to him. “He’s a child and I’m his favorite toy essentially.”

“Quentin…” Margo started, eyes full of fear.

“Not like that.” He reassured. “But if he did ever discover sex, I’m sure he would come to me first.” Margo made a noise of protest. “Sometimes he shows up and makes me go with him.”

“Quentin,” Margo breathed. He rubbed her back in comfort. 

“It’s been fine Margo. Kady’s been helping.” He said.

“I should have been helping!” She yelled. “I left you to deal with your actual soulmate torturing you. It touched my face once and I ran away.” 

“Margo, I understand. If I was king of another realm, I would have run too. Come on, let’s try to sleep.” He started doing his nightly routine, keenly aware of Margo’s eyes on him as he changed into his pajamas. Margo stole some of his clothes and changed into them. They climbed into bed together, easily falling into their normal sleeping positions. The image came to both of them, thinking about all the times the three of them had slept together. They had never had a threesome again, but more often than not, they found themselves sleeping in Eliot’s massive bed. Eliot spooning Q, who was spooning Margo. 

“I’ll never be able to make it up to you Q.” Margo whispered.

“Everything will be fine Margo. Us against it all, always.” Q said. He squeezed her tight against him and took a deep breath. Margo always smelled like coconut, and once she went to Fillory, lavender. But Quentin suspected that might be her ‘close’ proximity to Fen. 

“Now tell me how Fillory has been.” He prompted. Margo stayed quiet, but Q felt her open and close her mouth several times.

“I’m a werewolf.”

“You’re a werewolf.” Quentin repeated slowly. “How?”

“I might have fucked Josh.” Margo said bluntly. Q stroked her hair.

“Well, I was not expecting that.” Quentin said. “Why? Oh Margo, did you catch fuzzy feelings for Josh?”

“Not on your life Coldwater. Except, now that I’m a werewolf, there’s a bond, and I really don’t want it.” She whispered.

“I see. So why did you fuck him?” Margo huffed and rolled over to face him.

“I was losing control. El was gone. Fillory is literally falling apart. Josh was gonna rape, murder, or die. And I knew I could stop this one, so I fucked him.” Margo finished. Q pressed his lips together.

“Well alright then. As soon as operation asshole is over, we start operation Fargo.” He chuckled as he said it.

“Operation Fargo?” She asked, eyebrows raised. He grinned.

“You know, Fen/Margo. My ship cannot sail if you’re accidentally werewolf married to Josh.” Margo pushed him away with a snort.

“You fucking nerd. You’re such a goddamn boat boy. Shipping your friends, honestly Q. Well ‘Fargo’, as you say, can start, but I hear you’re going to lead the hedges with Kady.” Margo’s sentence ended softly, vulnerably. 

“How do you think we’re gonna de-mate you? In the past couple weeks, I’ve seen the knowledge at Brakebills dwarfed by the knowledge the Hedges have. And with Kady at the helm, we’ll have a solution in no time.” Q smirked. 

“Well, I guess I’ll trust you.” Margo teased. “So, tell me about my competition.” 

“Competition?”

“There's only room for one bad bitch in your life. And I'm not losing to Miss. four octave range.” Margo huffed. Q pulled her into his chest. 

“You’re the only bad bitch. I think Kady has actually taken over Julia’s role. We just kind of understand each other differently. I guess we never really got the chance to figure out a relationship at Brakebills. We bonded over Penny, which was something we both needed, I think, and what it was like to be best friends with Julia for a time. How it feels to make big decisions for each other without actually talking to each other.” Q shrugged. “Plus we talked about the whole, locking me in my worst hellscape shit that went down. Where she was essentially about to kill me. That was really nice. No one ever talks about that.” Margo buried her head in his chest. 

“I’m sorry, Q.”

“Stop apologizing Margo. I know for a fact that you’ve had your own shit to deal with. Now can we go back to the hallucogenic lizard that you licked, for some reason?” He asked. Margo giggled.

“It wasn’t my best decision, but it was one hell of a time. Essentially my life became a musical led by El. He sang  _ Don’t Get Me Wrong _ , which is great. I love that song. Then there were a couple others. El, Josh, and Fen sang as I fucked the leader of the village. That was something. Then you guys all showed up to sing me out. It was nice. It reminded me of old times.”

“We both know I can’t sing,” he chuckled. 

“Yes, however, you were next to Alice, so you weren’t a focus. Now, bedtime baby Q, then I’ll make breakfast in the morning. Remember that day it was just us? And you burned the bacon, so I made us dutch babies? I can make those again.” Q hummed in agreement. “Why are you having trouble eating?”

“The last couple of months have been bad…” Q sighed. “The monster had ruined a lot, and it just became so hard to eat. Every good memory was twisted by the monster.”

“Not peaches?” She asked. He shook his head.

“Peaches were ruined for their own reasons, and not even the monster could twist it up more. I can live with that kind of heartbreak.” Margo burrowed further into his chest. 

“Well, we both know that El really knows how to fuck shit up.” She growled out. Images of the dilapidated and broken Q came to her mind, burrowing his way into her royal bed, trying his bed to hide from the pain.

“That’s why I’m not mad at you. You can’t always be there to pick up my pieces Margo, and I’ll always be grateful that you were there that day.” Q said.

“Of course I was there. And I’ll always be here. You’re one of my best friends, Q. And once El is back and healthy, he’s going to get the ass kicking of a lifetime. On top of the new asshole I promised to rip him in Fillory. I was giving you two space to figure it out, but then everything went to shit, and it never happened. And now I’m gonna fucking murder him.” Q laughed softly.

“Of course he is.” Margo turned over and relaxed into Quentin’s embrace. 

Q was warm when he woke up. Strong arms were wrapped around his middle. He squeezed Margo to him, relishing in the touch. The arm around him started running up and down his side. He smiled and leaned back into the warm body. The hand stilled.

“El,” Q whined. He froze as soon as he said it. Margo’s eyes flew open and she instantly sat up. Q was frozen, eyes wide. The monster was stretched out behind Quentin, his arm wrapped around Q possessively. 

“What are we doing, Quentin?” The monster asked. “I don’t understand this.” Q rolled away. Margo’s face contorted into a snarl, but Q grabbed her. 

“When two people have a special relationship, they sleep in the same bed. Margo and I have that kind of relationship.” Q explained. The monster nodded.

“I see. Do you and I have that relationship, Quentin?” He asked. Margo tensed, ready to tackle him. Q shook his head.

“No, Margo and I have known each other for a long time. So we’ve had time to develop our relationship. You and I are new friends.” Quentin explained. Margo relaxed as the monster nodded and got up from the bed. Q let go of Margo and shifted, staying in front of her as the monster moved.

“I need your help, Quentin.” It was the only warning before the monster grabbed Q’s hand and they were gone.

“MOTHERFUCKER,” Margo screamed before tearing out of the room. Alice was sitting at the bar, pouring over a tome, while Kady made herself a smoothie. They both looked up as Margo ran down the stairs. “Were the fuck does he take Q!?” Kady immediately put down her smoothy, and Alice leaned forward.

“When was he taken?” Kady asked, eyes sharp.

“Just fucking now. Now who the fuck do I need to castrate to get Q back?” Kady shook her head.

“It always changes. All we can do is wait.” Alice said, shoulders slumping. Margo ground her teeth together. 

“What are they doing?” She asked.

“It ranges. Sometimes he wants Q to take him to a theme park. Sometimes he wants Q to help him kill a god.” Kady explained stiffly. 

“We woke up to that motherfucker spooning Q like a fucking lover. How fucking often does that happen?” Margo asked. Kady’s face went pale, and Alice half stood, alarmed.

“That’s got to be new.” Kady said. “He would have said something.” She picked up her smoothie and sighed. “But also, maybe not, seeing how well he hid himself.” Alice’s eyes trailed up and down Margo’s body, noting Q’s clothes. Margo met her eyes, daring Alice to challenge her. 

“When are you guys leaving?” She asked Alice.

“As soon as Julia gets up.” Alice gestured to the stairs.

  
“Well, go get her and move your fucking asses, because if that fucker messes with Q one more day, I’m gonna loose my fucking shit.” Margo spat at her. Alice glared at her, but stalked up the stairs. Kady gave Margo a glare.

“Alice is doing her best. She’s trying to make up for her shit.” Kady explained. 

“Well I never got the speech, so I’ll hold onto my judgement.” Margo snorted. Kady shrugged.

“I just punched her. Worked wonders.” Margo hummed in thought. “So you know.” Kady said, focusing on wiping away the smoothy dripping down her glass. Margo raised an eyebrow. “About the peaches.” Margo blinked several times.

“How the fuck do you know?” She asked. Q hadn’t mentioned this. 

“We got hammered a couple weeks ago. I cried about Penny. He cried about… peaches.” Kady shrugged. Margo nodded, appreciating her discreteness. 

“I was there the day they remembered.” Margo explained. Kady nodded.

“Well, we never really got on, but now, I guess we have something in common.” Kady said, studying Margo, who nodded in agreement. 

“Baby Q tends to do that.” She smiled. Kady matched her smile.

“I have to go meet the hedges. Do you want to come with or stay here and wait?” Kady offered.

“I’ll stay. I don’t think i can do anything.” Kady nodded in understanding.

“I’ll bring home peaches. Anything else?”

“Plums.” Kady nodded and left the apartment. 

Margo sat at the bar, deciding what to do. Before she could get up, Fen burst through the clock. Margo jumped up and rushed forward. Fen held out a fishbowl, much to Margo’s confusion.

“It’s Josh,” Fen said. 

  
“Excuse you?” Margo asked. Fen launched into the tale of her and Josh finding the reservoir. “Jesus Fuck.”

“So I figured I had to bring him here.” Fen said. “Since you two…” Margo looked up at her.

“Josh and I are supernaturally linked. No more, no less. I’m already working on a way to break it.” Margo pretended not to see the badly masked joy in Fen’s face. They sat talking for almost two hours before Margo got up. 

“Sorry Fen, I can’t sit here anymore. I promised Q food. I’m gonna make him some fuckin food.” Fen followed her to the kitchen, carrying Josh with her.

“How is he?” Fen asked sadly. Margo raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t give me that look, Margo. I know how much they love each other. I was so sad when Eliot decided to marry Idri. I knew it wasn’t what anyone wanted. I was prepared, from the first day of our marriage for the day I would tie Quentin and Eliot’s hands together. They already loved each other so much at that time. With Alice’s death and Eliot’s wedding, I was surprised Quentin was sober at all that month.” Margo’s heart broke just a bit more.

“ _ Fen.”  _ She refused to admit her voice cracked. Margo had just put the dutch babies in the oven when Quentin and the monster appeared. Fen squeaked, causing Margo to spin around, hands ready. Q was standing, despondent, a cigarette hanging from his lips. 

“Thank you Quentin. I now have everything.” The monster said before disappearing. Margo sprung forward, but Q had already started the walk to the balcony. Margo followed him out and slid down to the floor next to him. 

“Q,” she prodded. He shook his head and took a long drag of the cigarette. She touched his arm, but pulled away quickly, breath catching at the blood soaked into his cardigan. “Are you…?”

“I’m fine. We killed the last god.” He choked. Margo steled her nerves and wrapped her arms around him.

“Come on, Q. You’re gonna put that cigarette out. Go take a shower, then come eat. Fen’s here too. You know she just fucking loves you.” Margo choked. Q nodded and let her drag him upstairs.

When Margo came back down, Fen was pulling the skillet from the oven, trying her best to keep an eye on Josh at the same time. She slumped onto a bar stool.

“So.” Fen sniffed. She hadn’t really gotten the full grasp of the monster possession. “Quentin is not okay.” Margo shook her head.

“No. And even when we get Eliot back, it’s going to be a long time before he’s okay.” Margo admitted.

“What do you plan to do?” Fen asked.

“Well, I'm gonna have to axe El, so he’ll have a long road of recovery. I don’t know what Q is gonna want to do. He’s either gonna live in a chair next to Eliot’s hospital bed, or he’s gonna run.” 

“If he runs, send him to Fillory.” Fen said. Margo raised an eyebrow. “I’ll make sure he’s okay. Maybe being off Earth will help. Somewhere the monster hasn’t been.” Margo nodded.

“That’s really thoughtful, Fen. I’ll keep that in mind.” Margo gave her a soft smile. “You really care about him.”

“Of course I care about Quentin.” Fen said softly. “Even if Eliot didn’t love him, I would too. He’s the only one that cares as much about Fillory as you do. If not more. I always trusted him to save my home. So I can help save him too.” Margo nodded. Margo and Fen looked up as they heard a door open, but Fen’s eyes moved back to Josh. Quentin shuffled down the stairs in new clothes. He sat down gingerly in the stool next to Margo, who wrapped an arm around him. 

“Hi Fen.” He greeted her. She looked up quickly before looking back at Josh.

“Hi Quentin.” 

“What’s with the fish?” He asked. She smiled at him.

“It's Josh! He was turned into a ten second fish!” She explained. He leaned forward in actual interest.

“Holy crap, really? So, you look away and he dies?” Q confirmed. Fen nodded with a smile. 

“They were always my favorite fish in Fillory. I liked that they needed my attention, and I could help them.” Fen explained. Q smiled at her.

“That’s lovely, Fen.” They shared a sweet smile before focusing back on the fish. Margo stood up and went to get plates. She dished up a large portion of the dutch baby and sprinkled it with powdered sugar.

“Come on Q, you need to eat a bit.” Q took the food wordlessly. 

“So, how did Josh become a fish?” He asked. Fen told him the story of finding the hidden sea. As she was wrapping up her story, Penny and Alice appeared in the living room. Penny’s nostrils were flaring and Alice immediately started pacing. Before Q could ask what happened, the front door banged open and Kady, Zelda, and Christopher fucking Plover walked through the door. 

\--- 

Finding out Julia had been taken by the monster had been a blow that Q was not expecting, but listening to Christopher Plover tell him he was Fillory’s only hope, that really took the cake. Margo kept a concerned eye on him as he and Plover talked. But when Plover handed him the book with the signature, Margo watched as he held in a gag. Her hand landed on his shoulder, giving it a vice grip. Alice gave him a look of concern. 

She wasn’t really listening to what Plover said, too concerned about Quentin. It wasn’t until Plover said someone had to truly ‘love’ Fillory did she look up. Everyone looked at Q, who shook his head.

“Maybe when i was 12,” he started. “But, Fillorys taken away all the shit i love.” Margo squeezed his shoulder again.

“Martin had the same problem.” Margo barely restrained herself from slapping him. “He returned as an adult. He could not make the flower bloom. His innocent love for Fillory had soured.”

“Think we can all say why,” Q snapped. Margo grinned.

“Quentin,” Zelda leaned forward. “It has to be you. I’m familiar with your books. Even considering your recent experiences, Quentin has the best chances of… making the garden grow.” Quentin sighed and leaned back in his chair. He looked over as Kady rolled up her sleeve and jumped up.

“Oh my god, Kady.” He rushed over to her. Zelda stood up with him.

“I’m fine Coldwater,” she said with a sigh.

“We don’t have much time.” Zelda said primly. “There’s a contractor the library uses.” Quentin turned to her, noting Kady’s glare.

“Are you saying the Library had a cure?” He asked. Zelda pressed her lips together and nodded. “Then why the FUCK is Penny dead?” Zelda started as his voice raised. 

“He knew-” 

“He knew shit!” Margo interrupted.

“You manipulated him into fucking indetured servitude so he could save lives! Fuck you Zelda, and fuck the library.” Kady grabbed Q’s hand and sent a brief smile to Margo.

“I have to go. Stay out of trouble Coldwater. And don’t forget, there are things that Fillory can never take from you.” She tapped his chest and gestured to Zelda, who led their way out of the apartment. Penny, Alice, and Q got ready to go to Fillory. Margo pulled Q to the side before they left.

“I can’t go Q. I’m still technically banished. You better fucking take care of yourself. I’m going to take Josh to the vet with Fen.” Q snorted. “Can it Coldwater. And listen to Kady.” Margo pulled him into a quick hug before they were off. 

She and Fen went to the vet, and Margo’s temper grew and grew as she learned more and her and Josh’s bond. When they got back to the apartment, Fen excused herself to take and nap and Margo took a page out of Josh’s book, baking something. She was just pulling them out of the oven when Penny appeared. 

“Are you baking for a fish?” He asked.

“He has a very refined palette.” She drawled back, dropping them on the counter.

“Here this should fix the fish thing,” Penny handed over a leaf. “And yes i have noticed your eyeball isn’t in your head, but honestly we do not have time for me to hear that story.”

“How long does the leaf take?” She asked.

“I don’t know.”

“But you know it works?” Penny shrugged. “Fen!” A second later, the woman was stumbling down the stairs. “Keep my eye looking at Josh. We’ll be back.” Fen nodded, so Margo reached out and grabbed Penny’s hand. In an instant they were gone. They landed in Fillory, quickly grabbing Q and Alice before dropping into the library. Margo took the axes and handed one to Q. She experimentally swung one and took a deep breath.

“We ready?” She looked between Alice and Penny, who nodded. They each had a handful of bottles on their body.

“We can do it.” Alice said shakily.

“Damn right we can, kitten.” Margo winked at her. Alice gave her a quick smile and followed Q. Margo and Penny traveled to the other end of the hallway. Margo rolled her eyes as she heard Q call for the monster lady. She and Penny watched as Julia flew into the wall. Margo jerked her head, and Penny grabbed her, traveling them right next to her. Margo buried the axe in Julia’s shoulder. She let out a blood curdling scream. Gold light poured from the wound, and Alice caught it in her bottle. Fogg stepped out of his cell.

“Where’s Elliot?” Alice asked. Margo whipped around, but he was nowhere in sight.

“We have to go to the reservoir.” Q said.

“No we need to go to a doctor.” Penny said.

“It’s just my leg.” Julia groaned. “We need to go to the reservoir.” Penny huffed, but they all grabbed him as he traveled. 

“Always gotta be a fucking twist.” Penny said, taking in the empty reservoir. They all latched on as Penny traveled them to Brakebills. Alice, Q, and Margo waited outside the infirmary until Fogg came out. He gave Alice and Q their orders before returning to the infirmary. Margo followed him closely. She watched as Penny and Lipson fought over Julia. 

She rolled her eyes as the Binder strutted through the room. 

“It was a difficult choice for Penny 23 to call upon the Binder, but the Binder is sure that Penny 23 made the right choice.” He said. Margo held hack her snort. “Julia, the Binder explained, would remain in a cycle of wounding, agony for millenia. Her Body required transformation. Luckily, this was the Binder’s expertise.” Margo pursed her lips at his cracking joints. He walked over to Julia. “The Binder needed direction. Initiate her long and arduous journey to full goddesshood, or revert her body to that of a mere human.”

“It should be her choice.” Penny said. Margo leaned over Julia toward him.

“And it’s fucking gonna be #2.”

“The Binder paused for Julia to make that choice. Then dryly noted she wasn’t in a talking mood.”

“Now listen here you second rate dictionary. This is going to be her choice. It's not yours, not mine, and definitely not puppy love over here.”

“The Binder assumed he was speaking with her husband, or master.” Penny threw and arm out, stopping Margo from tackling him.e

“How do you expect us to ask, Margo?” Lipson asked. 

“Oh i dont fucking know! Maybe the psychic could try!” Margo yelled. Penny blinked stupidly, his mouth gaping. “Now fucking get on with it.” Penny turned to Julia and closed his eyes. He winced for several minutes before stepping away.

“She said Demigod.” He half whispered. “Is that possible?” 

“The Binder shrugged. Nothing is possible until it is done. The Binder walks forward and places his hand on Julia’s forehead.” Margo tunes out and turns to Penny. 

“I’m going to find Q. Come get us if you learn something.” Margo found Q and Alice sitting in the cottage, both resolutely not looking at each other. Oh good, they had  _ that _ talk. Margo sighed and draped herself onto the couch.

“Alright you two. Julia’s gonna become a demigod. Fen is on Josh fish duty, Kady’s getting the cure for cancer, what are we doing?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Q said. Alice pressed her lips together.

“Well that won’t do. Come on nerds, let’s have drinks.” Margo got up and drug them to the bar. They were on their second drink when Julia and Penny walked through the door. Margo’s eyes roved over Julia. “Well you’re positively glowing.” Julia grinned. She held out a drink that Julia took graciously. 

“I’m gonna go grab Fen and Josh,” Penny said before disappearing. Q had scuttled over to the window seat, so Julia sat down next to him. Margo drug Alice outside and led the way to the gardens.

  
“Alright Kitten, it’s my turn. Give me your best shot.” She drawled. Alice took another drink and a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. What I did was fucked up. And it hurt a lot of people. If it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t be in this mess. It’s my fault and I know you hate me because Eliot is possessed now, but i’m still sorry.” She said it all in one breath, mildly impressing Margo.

“I don’t hate you because Eliot’s possessed. I hate Eliot because Eliot’s possessed. That is no one’s fault but his own.” Alice’s eyes widened. “I hate you because you and Quentin keep falling in with each other because it’s ‘safe’ and ‘normal’ even though it makes you both miserable. I hate you because you’re here giving Q those cute kitten eyes when he doesn’t really have the self assurance to say no right now.”

“I love him,” Alice whispered.

“No, you love the idea of him.” Margo countered. Alice took a deep breath, her shoulders drooping. Margo sighed and opened her arms as tears formed in Alice’s eyes. Alice stepped into her arms stiffly, but Margo could tell she needed what little comfort she could get. 

“He’s in love with Eliot.” She said into Margo’s shoulder. Margo nodded. “I’m an idiot.”

“Not an idiot. Just someone who needs a hug every so often. And Q gives the best hugs.” Alice smiled and pulled away. “Thanks Margo.”

“It’s apparently my job now.” Margo sighed. They sat there for almost 20 minutes until Margo stood. Alice followed her back to the cottage. When they got to the door, Fen was there, carefully cradling Margo’s eye. Margo took it with a smile. Penny, Julia, Kady, and Alice gaped as she lifted her eyepatch and popped the eye into its socket.

“Oh that’s disgusting.” Penny said. Margo shrugged.

“Alright, what do we got?” 

  
“Q and Josh are gone. And so is Eliot.” Julia said. Margo sighed.

“I sent the monster away, we have some time to get a plan together.” Fogg stepped into the cottage. A bright light ripped through the living room. Q and Josh stepped out, both holding cake. Margo watched as they ate their cake, explaining what happened at the god’s realm.

“How do we find the seam?” Margo asked. She rolled her eyes as Josh moaned over cake.

“We don’t have to find it. I know where it is.” Alice said. She crossed and uncrossed her arms. “There’s this place, this door. And what’s behind it felt different.”

“Different like?” Margo asked.

“Like I knew I shouldn't go near it even when i was a niffin.”

“Well perfect.” Kady said. “We should all definitely walk in there.”

“Ok, so the monster’s out there, confused for as long as the spell lasts. 23 will travel us there, and we can surprise him.”

“Now this is where we open up for pitches, because I lost my fish magic and now none of us have the juice for the bond.” 

“I have some, but not enough to do both of them.” Julia said. “As a demigod, i have more power, but not God Fish levels.”

“The hedges.” Kady said. 

  
“Can barely tie their shoes.” Margo says.

  
“Fuck you.” Kady rolled her eyes. “And also, you’re wrong.”

“She’s right, Margo.” Q said. Margo rolled her eyes but gestured for Kady to continue. 

“They’re used to crumbs, and yes, ambient is low, but you know what amplifies it?”

“Cooperative magic.” Julia finished.

“We tell everyone, and I mean all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pipe. Fillory even.” 

“Can you get that many people to do cooperative magic?” Margo asked, uncertainty lacing her voice. Kady smirked.

“LIke i said, I’m the queen of the castle, bitch.”

“They have to be casting the entire time, so we can keep them in the bottles until we get to the Seam.” Alice said.

“Who's going?” Q asked. 

“I have to go, I need to lead people. Penny, I'm going to need you to travel me there before we enter.” Alice paused. “Kady, will you come? We can travel to grab you before we go.” Kady raised an eyebrow and nodded. 

“Q, that means you’re with me.” He gave her a tight smile. Everyone nodded and turned to do their own thing. Margo watched as Alice grabbed Q before he went up the stairs. She went off to grab her axes, giving them a minute to talk. 

“Alright people, let’s do this. If you need to touch butts make it quick.” She sent Alice a wink as she walked by. Penny brought Fen and Josh back to Fillory before bringing Kady to the hedges, he returned for Margo, Q, and Alice.

  
“I’ll wait in the infirmary. Lipson’s going to need me after the bottles are gone.” Margo nodded and grabbed onto Penny. In a blink they found themselves in the woods. She handed an Axe to Quentin.

“Ok, same as the sister? I’ll roll my eye out this time.” Margo said. Penny scrunched his nose in disgust. 

“One day, you’re gonna have to tell me that story.” He said as she pulled it out. It all happened so fast after that. Quentin yelled, pulling the monster’s attention, and right before he could strike, Penny traveled them away.

“Hey Motherfucker!” Margo yelled. She grit her teeth as she swung, lodging the axe into Eliot’s gut. Alice captured the monster and Q automatically started doing the spell. But Margo didn’t care. She clung to Eliot as he hit the ground. “Eliot!” She shoved her hands into his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. She didn’t even notice that Penny had traveled them until Quentin was pulling her off of Eliot.

“Margo!” He yelled, trying to calm her struggling. “Margo stop!” She only stopped as Eliot was wheeled out of view. She slumped into Q’s arms, sobs wracking her body. She felt his own body start to shake. She doesn’t know how long they stood there, arms wrapped around each other, giving each other the only comfort they could. Eventually she pulled away.

“Well, I did say that I would rip him a new asshole.” Margo watched as he pressed his lips together, before laughter burst from him. She couldn’t help but laugh with him. They fell to the ground laughing hysterically.

“I never thought you were being literal, but thanks for defending my honor.” Quentin said in between laughs. Margo couldn’t help the shrieks of laughter.

“Anything for my damsel in distress.” They stayed on the ground laughing until Kady, Penny, and Alice walked through the doors.

“Oh look, it's the seam dream team,” Q said, which only sent them on another round. Kady shook her head and sat down next to them, Alice quickly following. Penny23 sighed and waited, before begrudgingly joining them. When they calmed down again, Q asked what happened.

“We threw the bottles in, and as soon as we did, Everett showed up.” Kady said.

“I still had one on my back, and so i just chucked it.” Penny said.

“Everrett went for it, but Kady shoved him through too, so he’s stuck there now too.” Alice smiled brightly at Kady, who looked away. 

“It was just a shove. He was already almost there.” Margo and Quentin shared a look, but neither said anything.

“And Eliot?” Alice asked.

  
“Margo tore him a new asshole.” Quentin choked out. Margo laughed again.

  
“You really hit him good.” Penny said.

“I might have had some pent up anger.” Margo shrugged. “It’s just a lesson for none of you dickwads to ever piss me off.” They sat and talked and laughed, feeling lighter than they had in months until Lipson walked out. They were on their feet instantly. Margo latched onto Q’s hand.

“He’s going to be ok.” Everyone sighed. “WIth Julia, he’ll recover a lot faster. He’s actually awake now, but don’t overwhelm him.” Lipson walked away. Margo turned to Q. She opened her mouth but he beat her to it.

“Go. I’ll wait here.” She pursed her lips.

“I was going to say, let’s all go together.” She didn’t give him the chance to respond, pulling him to the emergency ward. “Come on dickwads.” She heard Kady laugh and their footsteps begin to follow. When they walked in, Julia was doing a complex spell over Eliot’s stomach. He was awake, but very clearly on the verge of passing out. His eyes widened when he saw her and Q.

“Bambi,” he stated weakly. In a moment, all of the anger she had felt when she dug the axe into him came flooding back. She grit her teeth, Q grunted as her hand crushed him.

“Motherfucker.” She growled before stalking out of the room. Eliot gaped after her. She heard footsteps behind her as she stalked through the hospital. She didn’t stop until she got to the cottage. “Ahhh!” She yelled. Arms wrapped around her. “Sorry Q.”

“Don’t be sorry. I was going to do it if you didn’t.” He said. She nodded and pulled him to one of the couches. “You know, we’re gonna have to like, go back at some point right?” Margo snorted.

“Let's give in an hour.” She said. “And maybe a couple drinks.” Q smiled and got up, pouring them both a ‘Q special.’ Margo grinned and took a drink. “Ahh, sprite and tequila, the depression margarita.” Their glasses met and they both downed the drinks. They each drank two more before Margo said anything. “Thanks for following me.”

“I didn’t want to go in the first place. You were the only thing literally anchoring me there.” Margo snorted.

“I just got so fucking pissed off. I’m allowed to be pissed.” She huffed. 

“He did just get possessed.” Q said softly. “And his body was made to kill a bunch of people.”

“With you!” Margo cried. Q grimaced.

“WIth me. And I will be in therapy until I die for that, but it wasn’t him. And,” he sighed. “And he needs us right now.” Margo crossed her arms.

“You’re right. Help him heal now. Punch him again later.” Margo sighed and stood up. “Come on let’s go.” They walked back to the infirmary hand in hand. When they walked in, Julia and Penny were nowhere to be found, but Alice and Kady were sitting next to Eliot’s bed, talking to him quietly. They looked over and Margo and Q walked in. 

“Alright kitten, shift change. You too, bitch.” Eliot’s eyes darted to Kady, who just grinned.

“I thought we established I was the queen of the caste?” Kady asked. Margo rolled her eyes and strutted forward. Alice stood up and offered her chair to Margo, who sat down with a smile. Kady stood and made her way over to Q.

“Well, you don’t have any more excuses. You in or out?” She asked. Q rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at her. 

“Fine, I’ll do it.” She smiled and pulled him into a hug. She pulled away and raised an eyebrow.

“Dinner tonight?” Q nodded.

“Curry?” Kady smiled and ruffled his hair. 

“Come on blondie, we’re gonna make curry. Don’t be late Coldwater!” She called as she and Alice walked out of the ward. Q made his way to the bed and slumped in Kady’s empty chair.

“Q,” Eliot whispered, his eyes had been glued to baby q since he walked in the door.   
  
“Eliot,” Q leaned forward. “How do you feel?”

“Like I was just gutted.” Margo smirked.

“Oops, sorry.” Eliot turned to her and smiled weakly.

“You look very sorry.” Margo shrugged.

“Had to let out all that pent up rage.” She explained.

“My feral bambi.” She took his hand and sighed, relieved to find the warmth under her fingers. They watched as his eyes drooped and he fell asleep.

“This is why I hate sick people.” Margo said. Q laughed softly.

“Hey, Q, I'm going back to the apartment, do you want to come?” Penny asked from behind Q. She watched as Q bit the inside of his cheek. His eyes flicked to her.

“Go on, queen bitch has plans for you apparently.” He stood up quickly. Before he could get far, she grabbed his hand. “But Q, if you need it, Fen extended the offer, if you need to go somewhere for a bit. Just tell me, okay?” He smiled gratefully at her.

“I will.” She let go so that Penny could travel. Julia sat across from her.

“So I understand that I owe you.” Julia started.

“Not that i’m complaining, but why do you owe me?” Margo asked. 

“For giving me the choice. The Binder wasn’t very keen on trying to get it, and Penny,, well, Penny23 isn’t the best when it comes to me. If you weren’t here, I don’t think i would have gotten the choice.” Julia explained. Margo looked away.

“I didn’t do you any favors. I just pointed out the obvious.” Margo focused back on Eliot. “It’s not something to celebrate, it’s something everyone should have.” Margo didn’t miss Julia’s small smile. They sat in silence for several more minutes.

“So, I probably missed something, but when did Quentin and Eliot fall in love?” She asked quietly. Margo smirked and leaned back in her chair.

“That is a very long story. But, i suppose we have time.” 

\---

Julia had long since retired to rest when Eliot woke again. It was pretty late at night and Margo had been thinking about Q, hoping dinner had gone well.

“Bambi,” he rasped. Margo jumped up and helped him take a drink of water. “Thank you.” They both relaxed again. “I’m sorry.” Margo raised an eyebrow.

“For?” 

“For whatever I did to make you gut me. I know your rage when I feel it. And I know I fucked up somehow.” He explained. Margo noted how much better he looked. His voice was strong and clear, and his face held color again. Margo sighed.

“I told myself I'd wait till you were healed in order to smack the shit out of you.” She said.

“I can take it.” He grabbed her hand in his.

“You broke our Baby Q’s heart. And you didn’t even have the balls to tell me.” She said. Eliot froze.

“You,” he started.

“Know everything.” She finished. “The life, your kid, how you brutally ripped his heart out.” She tilted her head as he started crying.

“I fucked up.” He said. “God, I fucked up so bad, Margo. How long have you known?”

“After your little stunt, Q showed up crying at my door.” Tears streamed down Eliot’s face. “He broke down and told me everything.”

“When i broke out, and told him i was alive.” Eliot started. “I had to face my worst memory. It was that memory. Turning down the best thing that ever happened to me.” Margo could feel her own tears now. 

“God damnit Eliot.” She launched forward and pulled him into a hug. “You have to fix it you asshole.” 

“I will, I will, I will,” he chanted into her shoulder. She pulled away. “God he probably hates me.” Margo shook her head.

“He doesn’t. He wouldn’t have spent the past couple months placating the monster if he hated you.” Margo paused. “He might, he might have some trouble around you. El, the monster,” she paused again. “It… liked him. Q was it’s toy.” She could have sworn Eliot stopped breathing. “So, I really need you to put it right. He deserves that.”

“I will, I promise. God i’ll tell him everything.” Margo held him as he cried, until he leaned back, wiping his tears away. 

“And if you don’t I'll make you.” She grinned

“Or what,” he grinned as well as he could. “You’ll gut me again.” Margo shook her head and smirked.

“Nope, Kady will.”


End file.
